This invention relates to computer systems and methods which relate to online negotiations in connection with sales of real and personal property.
Online negotiations systems have been disclosed in the prior art, for example U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,001 (Ephrati, et al, Ariba, Inc.) discloses a system and method for managing negotiations, including bilateral or one-on-one, one to many, and multilateral negotiations where the response to the initial offer and any other counteroffers and responses are all structured according to rules within the online computer system. Ephrarti teaches a structured negotiation process where the response to the initial offer and any other counteroffers and responses are all structured according to rules within the online computer system.
Websites such as sites such as www.cybersettle.com facilitate an online settlement process for the settlement of personal injury lawsuits and disputes but are not useful for on-line negotiating over anything else.
Burchetta, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,114, and its parent patents assigned to Cybersettle Holdings, Inc., disclose a computerized dispute resolution process in which two parties each submit demands and offers. If an offer and demand are not within a pre-established difference, no further offers or demands may be made during a round.
In conventional negotiations over purchase of a house or other property, a seller may list his house or property in a “multiple listing service” through which real estate agents have access to the particulars of the property, including an asking price. An agent may communicate a buyer's offer by telephone, fax, letter, or email and the seller or seller's agent may respond with an acceptance or counter-offer. Further rounds of offers and counter-offers may take place until the negotiation process ends with parties walking away or agreeing on a price and conditions. In such negotiations, price is often not the only variable; sometimes date of settlement, who will be responsible for improvements, how much furniture is included in the deal, and the like can be offered or requested.